Page | 64 Extended Military Leave – Employees directed to participate in extended military duties in the U.S. Armed Forces that exceed ten working days will be placed on an unpaid military leave of absence status for a period of as long as five years and will be entitled to the rights and benefits described below, subject to the procedures outlined below. Military Leave Approval Procedures (Temporary & Extended) – The employee will provide Human Resources and his/her immediate supervisor with the notice that the employee will be engaging in military service. Where feasible, this notice should be a copy of the official orders directing the military duty, unless the employee is prevented from doing so by military necessity. Employees are requested to provide such notice within 30 days of active military service. Failure to provide adequate notice may render the employee ineligible for the rights and benefits described in this policy. Benefits During Military Leave – During military leave, employee benefits will continue as follows: • Paid Leave Benefits – Employees on temporary or extended military leave may, at their option, use any or all accrued paid vacation or available floating holidays during their absence. While on unpaid military leave, employees do not accrue additional paid leave benefits. • Health Insurance – An employee on extended military leave may elect to continue group health insurance coverage for the employee and covered dependents under the same terms and conditions for a period not to exceed 31 days from the date the military leave of absence begins. The employee must pay, per pay period, the premium normally paid by the employee. After the initial 31-day period, the employee and covered dependents can continue group health insurance up to 24 months at 102% of the overall (both employer and employee) premium rate. Beginning after the first 31 days of military leave, group health insurance coverage for an employee and/or an employee’s covered dependents will run concurrently with applicable health insurance coverage under COBRA. • Group Term Life Insurance – Coverage provided by the City will terminate the day the employee becomes active military. • Voluntary Supplemental Life/AD&D insurance – Coverage provided through the City will terminate the day the employee becomes active military. Converting to an individual policy may continue voluntary dependent life insurance coverage. To exercise this conversion option, dependents must submit a written application and the first premium payment within 31 days immediately following the termination of coverage. • Group Long-Term Disability Insurance – Coverage provided by the City will terminate the day the employee becomes active military. • Retirement Savings – Upon reemployment, employees who have taken military leave will be credited for purposes of vesting with the time spent in military service and will be treated as not having incurred a break in service. Immediately upon reemployment, the employee may, at the employee’s election, make any or all employee contributions that the employee would have been eligible to make had the employee's employment not been interrupted by military service. Such contributions must be made within a period that begins with the employee's reemployment and that is not greater in duration than three times the length of the employee's military service. General Benefit Upon Re-employment – Employees reemployed following military leave will receive seniority and other benefits determined by seniority that the employee had at the beginning of the military leave, plus any additional seniority and benefits the employee would have attained, with reasonable certainty, had the individual remained continuously employed. In addition, an employee’s time spent on active military duty will be counted toward their eligibility for FMLA leave once they return to their job at the City. Re-employment – Upon an employee's prompt application for reemployment (as defined below), an employee will be reinstated to employment in the following manner depending upon the employee's period of military service:
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